AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson praises Swerve Strickland and wonders how WWE could have let him go.
Strickland previously had a run in WWE, but the company released him in a round of cuts in November 2021. His career has reached new heights since then, as he won the AEW World Championship and headlined AEW All In against Bryan Danielson.
Speaking with Justin Barrasso for Undisputed, Danielson reflected on working with Strickland at AEW All In.
“Swerve was perfect at All In,” Bryan Danielson said. “I mean, he’s incredible. He just signed a new contract with AEW–and that is one of the benefits of having two mainstream wrestling companies in the United States. WWE didn’t see value in him, and they let him go. When Swerve came here, he said he was going to become AEW champion–and he did.”
Bryan Danielson Can’t Say Enough About Swerve Strickland
Danielson continued by saying that Swerve Strickland was not given the opportunity to be his best self in WWE. He also stated that if someone didn’t see value in a talent, they could try somewhere else, and that’s what Strickland did.
“You watch him and ask, ‘Who would ever let go of this guy?’ He just wasn’t given the opportunity to be his best self. And that goes both ways–I don’t want it to sound like, ‘Oh, evil WWE, they don’t let their talent be their best selves.’ Some people will thrive there. Some people will thrive here. There are people who will thrive in both places, there are people who will be underutilized. That’s the benefit of having two major companies in the United States. If someone doesn’t see value in you, you can try somewhere else.
“And Swerve, he is the most professional of the professionals. Him, Claudio, [Samoa] Joe–anything you need them to do, they do it without hesitation. The way he’s been able to show everyone how skilled he is of a professional wrestler, I’m so impressed. I can’t say enough about him as a professional wrestler or a human being.”
RELATED: Cody Rhodes Tops 2024 PWI 500, Swerve Strickland Ranks Second
